Part 3 (1/2)

He stopped short. ”h.e.l.lo,” he gasped; then, when he had overcome his surprise, ”Where are you?”

”Just four feet ahead of you.”

”Who are you?”

”Brown, Company F, Twenty-first Ohio.”

”Oh,”-this with relief in his voice-”I'm Burns, Company B, of the Second. Are there any others here?” He went forward and they tried to make out each other's faces in the dark.

”No. There was to be a third man with us, Andrews said,” answered Brown.

”He hasn't come yet.”

”And who's Andrews?” asked Tom.

Brown laughed. ”Why, he's the man who's leading us. The one who's going to take us in.”

”I didn't know,” answered Tom. ”They didn't tell me much-except that I was going. That was enough.”

”That's about as much as most of the men know,” remarked Brown. ”Knight and I were the only ones who talked with Andrews. We are the engineers.”

”The engineers?” asked Tom. ”What sort of engineers?” He heard Brown chuckle.

”Well, they didn't tell you much, did they? Locomotive engineers, of course. We're going to steal a railroad train.”

”Steal a railroad train!” exclaimed Tom.

”Yep! That's what we're going to do.”

Tom gave a low whistle.

Brown continued: ”We're going to take a train on the Georgia State Railroad. Knight and I are to run it, and the rest of you....”

From down the road came a mumble of voices. Brown clutched Tom's arm and they listened. ”That's them!” exclaimed Brown in a whisper.

One man of the approaching group stepped off the road into the fork, while the others waited.

”Brown,” he called.

”Right here, sir.” Brown stepped forward, and Tom followed.

”How many are with you?” asked the man.

”Just one-Burns. The third hasn't come yet.”

”How are you, Burns? I'm Andrews.” He groped for Tom's hand in the darkness, shook it. ”I wonder where the other man is. Well, it makes no difference. We won't wait for him. Come on.”

They followed him, out to where the others were standing.

”This way, men,” said Andrews, starting up the road on the left. Brown and Tom fell in beside him. ”The rest of you straggle out so that you can get off the road quickly if anyone comes.” Then, to Brown and Tom: ”Perhaps he's lost, or perhaps he's changed his mind. Three others weren't where I told them to be, but we'll get along just as well without them. I arranged it this way so that if any of you did decide at the last minute that you didn't want to go....” He did not finish the sentence. Presently he said: ”I want no men who aren't anxious to be with me.”

Tom could not see Andrews' face, but he liked his calm, pleasant voice. Conversation stopped, except for Brown's remark, ”It looks like rain,” and Andrews' answering, ”Hm-m-m.” For several minutes they plodded along the road, hidden even from the intermittent light of the moon by the trees that grew beside the road.